Here's the thing about food stamps, and Fox News' reaction. What really irks me is how people talk about how food stamps are used. Yes, maybe there are some abuses of the system. But there are abuses of the system at every level--from corporations, down to low income Americans. What else is new? And yes, perhaps buying expensive seafood is not the wisest choice on food stamps--given that there is a lot of other food you're going to need each month aside from fancy salmon.

That being said, all I hear when the morons anchors on Fox News are outraged that someone can buy organic salmon from some upscale market in some fancy pants section of New York is that they don't think poor people deserve good food. That they aren't worth enough to consume such delicacies. That they should be buying cheap, poor quality food, not because it's what they can afford but because that's what these sub-human beings are worth. It took me a while to pinpoint what was bothering me, and the second time I saw the Daily Show clip I figured it out. These anchors are just SO aghast that you could buy organic salmon with food stamps. Well, why couldn't you?

Their reaction is infuriating. When I did AmeriCorps I made very little money. I knew this going in--my job was a service to my country and community, and it was very much a living stipend--a wage to cover the costs of living so that I could give a year (or two) of service without starving or freezing to death. Because of how much I made, I qualified for food stamps, and took advantage of this. Why? Maybe I could have gotten by without it. If I ran out of money, my parents could have probably bailed me out--I had a safety net below the safety net I was using. But I wanted to both live independently, and eat well. So I got food stamps and could afford to buy organic produce if I wanted. I could afford to buy brand name food if I so chose, and buy higher quality this and that. And I realized, no wonder there is an obesity epidemic in America that coincides all too closely with poverty. Because it is hard to eat healthy and cheap. It is cheaper to buy a lot of crap. And this is the reality that a lot of students I work with deal with--I work in Title 1 schools, which means a good percentage of kids are on free/reduced lunch, which means many of my families are lower socioeconomically--and some may not even know where their next meal is coming from. I want my kids eating healthy, and making good choices--and I want my kids to have the resources to do this. And quite frankly, that they don't, is not their fault. It is the system they were born into, a system that makes it very hard to make your way up in. Does that mean they don't deserve nice things? Absolutely not. Maybe if we paid people a decent wage for all jobs this wouldn't be an issue. Maybe if everyone had the same access to education--that all schools had the resources they need for success--this wouldn't be an issue because no one would need food stamps, because everyone would truly have equal opportunity for success.

So screw you Fox News, and anyone who thinks the statistic that 99.6% of poor people have refrigerators tells us anything worthwhile about the state of poverty in America. Poor people deserve to eat well, and healthy, and keep their food fresh, just as you do. They deserve basic appliances. They deserve a little bit of luxury in their lives. And you know what, no one deserves to be poor. Just because you're below the poverty line doesn't mean you're worth anything less as a person. If you are appalled that someone can buy lobster with food stamps, keep it to yourself. And let these hardworking, struggling Americans treat themselves every once in a while.

At any rate, those buying crazy things with food stamps not only are mostly within the law, but are very likely outliers. The reason you can buy these things, is that it's none of our business what people do with food stamps once they get them. Yes, there may be smart choices to make the most of the money you get, but that's for those individuals to deal with.